New Classical Tracks: Chapel of the Pieta

La Serenissima means "the most serene." It's a term used to describe Venice, Italy, the floating city built on 117 small islands. It's a unique, beautiful treasure, much like this group of Vivaldi specialists who've appropriated the name for themselves. Just like the Grand Canal that passes each of the districts as it twists along the length of Venice, this new recording by La Serenissima takes us on a magical journey through Vivaldi's music for the Chapel of the Pieta.

For more than 30 years, Vivaldi was employed by La Pieta, an orphanage for young girls. His primary responsibility was to supply the institution with a steady stream of new compositions. His employers hoped that would attract more congregants and more donations to the church to which the orphanage was attached. Vivaldi composed many works for the chapel choir and the orchestra, but the "star attractions" of these church services were always the soloists.

That holds true for this recording as well. Scottish soprano Mhairi Lawson's versatile vocal style helps to draw the listener into the music. The cantata "Laudate pueri Dominum" (Psalm 112) opens with the soprano solo proclaiming, "Children, praise the Lord!" From that opening movement of joyous celebration, Lawson transitions into the prayerful Largo. Her voice is strong, warm and even angelic. As she sings, the notes drift and sometimes soar to the top of the cathedral.

Lawson's vocal talents are given an even greater showcase in the "Salve Regina" cantata. This is a highly unusual work for Vivaldi because of the minimal scoring in the opening movement. As a rule, the outer movements of a multi-movement Baroque work would be fully scored and the inner movements would have a lighter texture instrumentally. This is the only time Vivaldi departed from that principle in a sacred vocal work. It's thought that the solo violin in the opening movement represents the Virgin Mary, and the soprano is addressing her in prayer.

Vivaldi used the solo organ in several instrumental works, including four concertos for violin and organ. Organist Robert Howarth engages in an energetic musical dialogue with Music Director Adrian Chandler in Vivaldi's Violin and Organ Concerto in F. Howarth plays a modern organ that was designed to replicate the sound Vivaldi had access to in the 18th century. At times, the organ sounds like a choir of flutes as it climbs the scales in a musical contest with the violin. During the slow movement the competition subsides and the exchange of ideas between the violin and organ is quieter, more thoughtful. The conversation escalates once again in the finale, but this time the soloists engage in a more polite repartee.

The ensemble La Serenissima lives up to its name. The group is unruffled by the demands of the notes on the page. This ensemble is quite flexible, offering expressive dynamics from a thunderous fortissimo to a hushed pianissimo. Improvisation played a big role in 18th-century concerto performances; Vivaldi required his soloists to elaborate on what he had written on the page.

Leading by example, Adrian Chandler displays a dazzling technique in a violin concerto Vivaldi wrote for his father to play with him. The Concerto for the Feast of the Holy Tongue of St. Antony of Padua is a virtuosic display piece that doesn't scare Chandler one bit. He dances through the phrases effortlessly and shows his mastery of the violin in the climactic finale. If you want to hear Vivaldi from every angle, this is the recording for you.

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